سُوْرَةُ النَّجْمِ
Surah An-Najm (53) — Ayah 24
أَمْ لِلْإِنسَـٰنِ مَا تَمَنَّىٰ ﴿24﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Or shall man have what he wishes?
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَمْ
am
Or
لِلْإِنسَـٰنِ
lil'insāni
(is) for man
مَا
mā
what
تَمَنَّىٰ
tamannā
he wishes
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 25,24){ اَمْ لِلْاِنْسَانِ مَا تَمَنّٰى… :} That is, the desires they have cherished in their hearts—that their deities will benefit them in this world and save them from Allah’s grasp in the Hereafter, or that if the Hereafter is established, they will have the same comforts there as they have in this world—then first they should consider: does every wish that a person makes actually come true?
Obviously, this is never the case, because the owner of the world is only Allah, and He alone is the owner of the Hereafter as well. Therefore, nothing happens by the will or desire of anyone else; rather, only what the Owner wills happens. Then how did they tie such expectations to these self-made deities that they would fulfill their wishes? Here, even the greatest person, whether he is Allah’s Khalil or His beloved, is bound by His will, and only that wish of his is fulfilled which the Owner wills. Look at the father of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the son of Nuh (peace be upon him), and the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and this reality will become clear to you: only that wish of any person is fulfilled which the Owner of both the world and the Hereafter wills. A poet has beautifully said:
{مَا كُلُّ مَا يَتَمَنَّي الْمَرْء يُدْرِكُهُ ¤ تَجْرِي الرِّيَاحُ بِمَا لَا تَشْتَهِي السُّفُنُ}
“It is not so that whatever a man wishes, he will surely attain it, because many times the winds blow against the wishes of the ships.”
Obviously, this is never the case, because the owner of the world is only Allah, and He alone is the owner of the Hereafter as well. Therefore, nothing happens by the will or desire of anyone else; rather, only what the Owner wills happens. Then how did they tie such expectations to these self-made deities that they would fulfill their wishes? Here, even the greatest person, whether he is Allah’s Khalil or His beloved, is bound by His will, and only that wish of his is fulfilled which the Owner wills. Look at the father of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the son of Nuh (peace be upon him), and the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and this reality will become clear to you: only that wish of any person is fulfilled which the Owner of both the world and the Hereafter wills. A poet has beautifully said:
{مَا كُلُّ مَا يَتَمَنَّي الْمَرْء يُدْرِكُهُ ¤ تَجْرِي الرِّيَاحُ بِمَا لَا تَشْتَهِي السُّفُنُ}
“It is not so that whatever a man wishes, he will surely attain it, because many times the winds blow against the wishes of the ships.”
